My 21-Day Road Trip in Pictures (Part One — The First Week)
I decided to take a three-week vacation from work and do a half-cross-country solo road trip to hike, visit friends, and break up the usual routine. I’ve done many road trips with friends and significant others, but never an extended road trip solo.
I’ve completed the first week and would like to share my experiences and a few photos. I spent most of my time in the mountains in several states: Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, Kentucky, and Tennessee. While the East Coast was experiencing a major heat wave (it hit 100 degrees in Washington, DC), I was hiking in temperatures primarily in the 60s and 70s. I missed out on the heat wave.
My last day of work was Friday, June 14th. I decided to spend the weekend in town preparing for the trip. What happened on my first day on vacation? I got a flat tire. Boo. No worries. I just added that to my weekend list of things to do.
Before leaving town, I attended the outdoor Columbia Festival of the Arts. The festival featured dozens of artists and vendors and live music. The weather was beautiful.
I left town early Monday morning and headed to Harpers Ferry, West Virginia. My first stop was to visit the John Brown monument. He was a righteous dude and one of my favorite Christians. John Brown was one of the most prominent abolitionists who was quite radical and openly advocated for violence against the State. He was tried and convicted of treason. This is just one of many examples in the history of the United States and around the world where treason against the State is loyalty to humanity.
Also went on a hike and took in the scenery. It was a spectacular day to be outdoors.
One of the things I wanted to do for the first week of my road trip was to visit the highest points in several states: Maryland, West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina, Kentucky, and Tennessee.
After Harpers Ferry, I hiked Backbone Mountain to Hoye Crest, the highest elevation in Maryland at 3,360 feet. The trail to the summit is in the Monogahela National Forest, part of the Allegheny mountain range.
After that hike, I visited the highest point in West Virginia, known as Spruce Knob, which is 4,863 feet high. There are several hiking trails, but you can also drive to the summit.
After spending some time at that summit, I stopped by Spruce Lake which is a few miles away.
Then it was off to Shenandoah National Park to do Skyline Drive and hike a few trails. In the evening, I drove to Waynesboro and Staunton for a brief visit.
I remember seeing the Tim Spears music store in downtown Waynesboro six years ago. The sign says, “The music never stops,” but the store was closed six days a week and only had business hours from 12 to 3 p.m. on Saturdays. Maybe the music never stops, but the store was almost never open. Now, that establishment is closed permanently. The music has stopped and been replaced by the sound of silence.
A closed shop apparently housing dangerous antiques is fifty feet from the music store.
The next day, I was off to Sherando Lake, about a half hour from Waynesboro. I’ve been here several times before and looked forward to another hike. The great thing about this location is that it has a lake with a beach where you can hang out and swim. There’s a path around the lake, several hiking trails, and camping sites. There are also lots of picnic tables and grills.
While in Virginia, I also hiked to Mount Rogers in the southwest corner of the state. It is the highest peak, with an elevation of 5,729 feet above sea level. The summit is covered by trees and marked with four national Geodetic Survey discs. I enjoyed the 4-mile hike to this summit. I was the only person there when I reached the peak. I like less crowded areas and being surrounded by trees.
The next stop was just across the Virginia border to visit Black Mountain in Kentucky. It is the highest point in Kentucky and has an elevation of 4,145 feet.
There is a one-lane dirt road that leads to the summit. There are posted signs at the entrance saying access is prohibited. Was that going to stop me? Hell no. I was there with another person, and we decided to drive up the 1.5-mile dirt road anyway. That was quite a rough, treacherous, and challenging dirt road, but we made it.
The summit has an abandoned metal fire lookout tower, multiple radio towers, and transmitter buildings. We were able to walk around the area without incident. Reaching this summit was certainly fun, exciting, and just a little dangerous. Thanks, Kentucky!
After checking off Kentucky, it was time to head to North Carolina, where I visited Mount Mitchell, the highest peak in the Appalachian Mountains and the highest summit east of the Mississippi River at 6,684 feet. While parts of the East Coast had temperatures in the 90s (100 in DC), I was at the summit mid-afternoon, where the temperature was 64 degrees with a cool breeze.
After leaving Mount Mitchell, I headed for Clingmans Dome in the Great Smoky Mountains. At 6,643 feet, it is the highest point in Tennessee and the highest mountain in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. It is also the highest point along the 2,192-mile Appalachian Trail, which crosses Clingmans Dome and passes immediately north of the observation tower. It was also quite cool here, with temperatures only in the mid-60s.
I enjoyed spending much of the week hiking in the mountains and visiting the highest peaks in six states. My solo road trip is undoubtedly off to a wonderful start, especially escaping the heat wave. I reached the highest summits in six different states and was able to hike at least several miles every day, a couple of days over 10 miles.
As far as finding places to sleep overnight, I used the iOverlander app to find places to park. I parked one night in a hotel parking lot, another at a rest stop, once at Cracker Barrel, and a couple of nights at various Walmart stores. The Spruce Knob area in West Virginia had plenty of free dispersed camping available but didn’t take advantage of it this time.
After spending six days in the mountains, it was time for me to head west. I plan to visit friends, go on more hikes, and visit a few other interesting destinations in Missouri, Kansas, Colorado, and Wyoming. Stay tuned!
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I have lived in my car since August 2023. You can follow my adventures on Facebook and Instagram